Thursday, December 29, 2022

3FL Notes: S22: Week 17 (SuperBowl) Preview

There was not a whole lot of drama last week in the build up to the SuperBowl. The average margin of victory in our two championship bracket games was more than 40 points. But I have a feeling that won't be the case this week.

There is a Thursday game but not any of the usual Saturday matchups, so a majority of the NFL games are scheduled for the first day of 2023. Make sure your team is ready!



Week 16 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: the HAW - 110 points

Player MVPs:
Dak Prescott (QB/Dal/tH) - 26 points
CeeDee Lamb (WR/Dal/tH) - 24 points
George Kittle (TE/SF/D) - 24 points



Playoff Predictions Tally

Yahoo! Projections: 5/8 - 62.5%



Week 16 Information
Thursday Night: Dallas Cowboys @ Tennessee Titans
Sunday Night: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens
Monday Night: Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals



It's SuperBowl week in the 3FL!

For 7th Place:
#2 Lightning vs. #8 Spiked Vipers
The Bolts had a great regular season but it seems like they were hit with injuries right at the wrong time. Lamar Jackson is ruled out for this game too, but so is Derrick Henry for SpiVi. Can Mac Jones keep our second place team from three playoff losses in a row? It's going to be close. The Vipers have one player scheduled after the 1pm games while the Lightning have seven. It's almost like a cricket match.

For 5th Place:
#4 Dumbbums vs. #6 the HAW
It was one week too late for the CAPS. They outscored everyone to put themselves in position to win the consolation bracket. Once again it all comes down to the Cowboys performance and since they're playing tonight we'll soon know how much of an early lead the 'Bums will need to overcome. And they'll both have to be rooting against the Steelers on Sunday night. Hmm.

For 3rd Place:
#3 Phys. Ed. Phenoms vs. #5 Stiletto Stompers
If things had gone a little differently in the semis, this could have been our SuperBowl matchup with a guarantee of a first time champion. But somehow PEP had a down game at the wrong time and the Stompers turned in the lowest score of the week (thanks to two zeros and two players with negative point totals). They'll both have to wait until next season for another title shot, but it's looking like the Phenoms might turn in the high total for this week to earn the digital bronze trophy.

3FL SuperBowl XXII
#1 Yuengling Brewers vs. #7 Predacons
Both of these teams cruised to victory in the semifinals and they are our top two scoring teams so far this playoff year. Can they keep it up? The Brew Crew is the only team this season to go over 1,300 points and they scored the fourth highest season total in 3FL history, so it's no surprise for them. The Preds scored less than 1,200 but they have turned things up in the postseason. They'll need to keep it going to have a chance here.

These two played each other back in Rivalry Week, where the Brewers won a low scoring game and therefore have the tiebreaker just in case we need it. They also faced off in SuperBowl XI (the infamous Tony Romo game) where the Predacons' QB was injured during the Cowboys' first drive. Hopefully both teams can stay healthy here.

Will SuperBowl records be broken again? Can the #1 seed win the championship three years in a row or will the Predacons finally have their name etched on the trophy? Maybe it will end up with a MNF Kicker comeback to win it all?? It all comes down to week 17!

Good luck this week!

Happy New Year and thanks to everyone for another great season!!

Thursday, December 22, 2022

3FL Notes: S22: Week 16 (Semifinals) Preview

Our third-highest scoring playoff week of all time gave us some big totals and some prime time excitement. For the third year in a row all the odd numbered seeds advanced to the semifinals. And three out of our four remaining teams have never won the championship, so things could get really interesting in the next two weeks.

All individual team pages (see links on the sidebar) and the 3FL Records have been updated and show statistics through the end of the 2022 regular season. This year's additions to the records page are in bold. Through 1,746 regular season games we have scored a combined 238,888 points, and after week 15 we are only 81 points away from 275,000 total league points (regular season + playoffs).

Don't forget, the four teams still in the championship bracket will have only one player add available this week. Most of the NFL games are on Christmas Eve Saturday, with only three on Christmas Day and one on Monday Night.



Week 15 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Yuengling Brewers - 147 points (3rd all-time, playoffs)

Player MVPs:
Kirk Cousins (QB/Min/P) - 31 points
Patrick Mahomes (QB/KC/YB) - 29 points
Joe Burrow (QB/Cin/PEP) - 28 points



Playoff Predictions Tally

Yahoo! Projections: 2/4 - 50%



Week 16 Information

Thursday Night: Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets
Saturday Night: Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday Night: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals
Monday Night: Los Angeles Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts



Semifinal Games
(Winners play in 3FL SuperBowl XXII, losers play for 3rd Place)

#1 Yuengling Brewers vs. #5 Stiletto Stompers
The Brew Crew led the way last week, scoring the third highest playoff team total in history and leaving no doubt about advancing as the top seed. Meanwhile the Stompers outlasted the 'Bums even though they DIDN'T START A QB. They'll probably want someone in that spot this week, as they are currently 25+ point underdogs. We all know that anything can happen, plus there is the curse, but it's not going to be easy.

#3 Phys. Ed. Phenoms vs. #7 Predacons
This is going to be a good one. Neither team has their name on the trophy yet, so one of them will get a title shot next week. But which one? PEP has won both West Division head-to-head matchups this year but the Preds scored more than 120 points last week (thanks to the largest comeback in NFL history). That probably won't happen two weeks in a row. Right?

Consolation Games
(Winners play for 5th Place, losers play for 7th)

#2 Lightning vs. #6 the HAW
The Bolts ended the year in second place but then saw their star QB unavailable for the quarterfinals. Things went south from there, and they ended up scoring their lowest total in more than a year. The CAPS and the Cowboys put up a respectable week but fell just short. Dallas has a tougher matchup this week but Coach HAW has the projections on his side. Scheduled games are all over the place so we'll have to wait until MNF for the final result.

#4 Dumbbums vs. #8 Spiked Vipers
It just wasn't meant to be. Even if the 'Bums were able to switch to their optimal lineup they still would have lost their game. And SpiVi simply ran into the buzzsaw that is the Brewers. They would have beaten three other teams last week (including the Dumbbums). This matchup should be close and it will depend on which QBs get the start. 

Merry Christmas and good luck this week! The SuperBowl awaits!!

Thursday, December 15, 2022

3FL Notes: S22: Week 15 (Quarterfinals) Preview

Our regular season finale saw a lot of drama just to keep the same teams in the same three open playoff spots. The Renegades gave it their best shot (and earned the biggest blowout of the week for the fifth time this season) but they came up just short of the postseason. Now it's time to start the journey to the SuperBowl!

There are six games outside the Sunday afternoon time slots this week, including three on Saturday. Make sure to have your players in position before their games start!

Remember that ROSTERS WILL LOCK AT 1pm THIS SUNDAY, December 18th. Under our playoff rules you will be allowed to make 1 add/drop per week once the postseason starts, but only teams still in the winners bracket will be eligible to make a move (with waivers set in reverse order of seeding).

Three wins in a row wins it all!!



Week 14 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Renegades - 134 points

Player MVPs:
Jalen Hurts (QB/Phi/MI) - 29 points
Evan Engram (TE/Jax/R) - 28 points
Miles Sanders (RB/Phi/M) - 27 points



Regular Season Final Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 54/84 - 64.29%
Yahoo! Projections: 52/84 - 61.90%



Week 15 Information

Thursday Night: San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Saturday Early: Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings
Saturday Late: Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns
Saturday Night: Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday Night: New York Giants @ Washington Commanders
Monday Night: Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers



The Comm-nosticator is finished for the year, but game previews are not...

#1 Yuengling Brewers vs. #8 Spiked Vipers
The Brew Crew finished the regular season as the top seed and highest scoring team, and they ended up with the fourth highest season team points total of all time. Not only that, but they have Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill. SpiVi qualified for the playoffs with a clutch win last week but this game will be more difficult. But we all know you can never rule out the curse.

#2 Lightning vs. #7 Predacons
Don't look for a QB to lead the way in this one. Lamar Jackson brought the Bolts to the postseason but he's already been ruled out for Week 15. It's looking like Russell Wilson against Kirk Cousins for a shot at the semifinals. Yikes. The Preds haven't scored more than 89 points since the last time these teams met (in week 9) and it might take at least that many to sneak past the North Division winners.

#3 Phys. Ed. Phenoms vs. #6 the HAW
It seems a little unlucky that PEP has to face off against the HAW after winning the West and claiming the third seed. The CAPS may have finished the regular season at .500 but they're second in scoring and have won five of their last six games. The projections are close and it's looking like it will be our best game of the week. And it come down to Joe Burrow's arm and the overall performance of the Cowboys.

#4 Dumbbums vs. #5 Stiletto Stompers
The 4v5 game should be the most even of all the first round matchups but unfortunately that's not the case this time around. BOTH of the Stompers QBs are on IR (along with a TE for good measure). This one is going to be good for the night owls, with at least one player going tonight, Saturday night, Sunday night and Monday night. Grab some snacks.

Good luck in the playoffs! The trophy awaits!!

Thursday, December 08, 2022

3FL Notes: S22: Week 14 Preview

It's the last week of our regular season and we still have six teams battling for the remaining three playoff spots. And with six NFL teams on a bye it will be that much more exciting.

It should be a great finale!



Week 13 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: the HAW - 110 points

Player MVPs:
Jalen Hurts (QB/Phi/MI) - 32 points
Davante Adams (WR/LV/M) - 29 points
Joe Burrow (QB/Cin/PEP) - 27 points



Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 49/78- 62.82%
Yahoo! Projections: 47/78 - 60.26%



Week 14 Information

Thursday Night: Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Rams
Sunday Night: Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers
Monday Night: New England Patriots @ Arizona Cardinals
Bye Week: Bears, Colts, Commanders, Falcons, Packers, Saints



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 14:

the HAW (-1) vs. Stiletto Stompers
The CAPS outscored everyone last week and they have the highest projected total for this week too. They're still technically fighting for a playoff spot, but unless there is a perfect storm and a 100+ point deficit they'll cruise to Coach HAW's 13th straight postseason appearance.

Lightning (-1/2) vs. Misfits, Inc.
It's going to take a big week and some help, but FitzCorp still has a chance to play next week despite being in 11th place. They'll just need to outperform all those single digit projections (and start a full lineup). Meanwhile the Bolts seem to have succeeded in avoiding the curse and now just have to hope their QB1 will be healthy sooner rather than later.

Renegades (-1/2) vs. Marauders
The only team not still in the running for a playoff spot is our current champion. But Coach Hoss is riding a three game winning streak and could keep the Renegades out of the postseason by handing them a loss here. It's going to be close and Coach Val needs not only a win but some help from around the league.

Predacons (-1/2) vs. Dumbbums
The 'Bums are sitting pretty in at #4 and are tied with the second best record in the league. They're only playing for seeding at this point, while the Preds could really use a win to make sure they keep a top 8 spot. They'll be headed in the right direction if they can just avoid having two players injured mid-game again this week.

And the games of the week...

Phys. Ed. Phenoms (-1/2) vs. Spiked Vipers
How about those Phenoms? They've taken over first place and are a game up on their closest competition. But do they really want to deal with the curse? SpiVi is in with a win here, but if they lose there are three other teams that can jump up in to the final playoff spot. It's all going to come down to multiple players in prime time.

Yuengling Brewers (-1/2) vs. Baltimorons
Things start tonight with two from each team playing in the prime video game. Can one of them jump out to a big lead? The QBs are a great matchup and everything else is looking pretty close. Keep your eye on injuries (a constant storyline for the 'Morons this year) but also keep in mind that Coach Drew needs a win to have any chance at the postseason.

Good luck this week!

Thursday, December 01, 2022

3FL Notes: S22: Week 13 Preview

Our first playoff spots have finally been claimed, but there are still six up for grabs. How many more teams can qualify this week?

Things are still very much in flux with only two weeks to go in the regular season.



Week 12 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Phys. Ed. Phenoms - 115 points

Player MVPs:
Josh Jacobs (RB/LV/L) - 41 points
Jalen Hurts (QB/Phi/MI) - 30 points
Josh Allen (QB/Buf/B) - 28 points
Justin Herbert (QB/LAC/SV) - 28 points



Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 45/72 - 62.50%
Yahoo! Projections: 43/72 - 59.72%



Week 13 Information

Thursday Night: Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Sunday Night: Indianapolis Colts @ Dallas Cowboys
Monday Night: New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bye Week: Cardinals, Panthers



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 13:

the HAW (-1) vs. Misfits, Inc.
Despite being third in season scoring, the CAPS are clinging to the last playoff spot at the moment. They can use some lopsided projections this week to sure up that spot and pretty much knock FitzCorp out of the running. This game features a combined seven players in the prime time matchups.

Marauders (-1/2) vs. Baltimorons
Since their record-tying losing streak ended the Marauders have won two straight, and it looks like they'll stretch it to three here as they face off against the 'Morons and their walking wounded. Things are slightly better for them this week, though. They only have four Qs and two on the IR.

Lightning (-1) vs. Stiletto Stompers
The Bolts are back in first place after hanging out at number two for the past month. They've punched their ticket to the postseason already and it's looking like they'll be a heavy favorite against the Stompers. Coach Bev is only a game back but the matchups are pointing toward the Lightning, starting with the potential for a big start tonight.

Yuengling Brewers (-1) vs. Renegades
The math could still work out for Coach Val but it's not going to be an easy equation. The Brew Crew has fallen out of the top spot but they have a chance to secure the division and clinch a playoff spot with a victory here. And does anyone want to play Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffrey no matter what seed they end up earning?

And the games of the week...

Spiked Vipers (-1/2) vs. Dumbbums
Coach Coaldog saw his winning steak stopped at W-6 last week and his 'Bums will face another tough test here. SpiVi can jump ahead of them in the standings with a win in this even matchup that is scheduled to end around dinner time on Sunday. QB choices will loom large.

Phys. Ed. Phenoms (-1/2) vs. Predacons
As one of two teams to secure a playoff spot, PEP is in good shape as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season. The same can't be said of the Preds. They are hanging on in the middle of the standings right now but their final games are against the two top teams in our best division. This one will be close and there are players in every time slot.

Good luck this week!